A WILDLIFE charity held a thank-you event for those who supported its donor-funded farm in Hampshire.

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust (HIWWT) recently moved in the first cows and sheep at Hockley Meadows Farm near Winchester, after the charity successfully purchased the land.

A fundraising appeal to help meet the £200,000 price of the 31-acre farm in Twyford exceeded its target, with days to go before the deadline.

The Trust received more than 1,600 donations totalling £187,000, followed by pledges of £45,000 from charity foundations and corporate supporters.

The event gathered supporters and partners who helped make the land purchase happen, and chief executive Debbie Tann spoke about the importance of the purchase and how it fits with the charity’s wider work in the Itchen Valley.

A HIWWT spokeswoman said: “Hockley Meadows Farm is already proving to be a brilliant place for our flock of sheep to give birth, with dozens of lambs arriving in the last few weeks alone.

“People power and support from key partners has helped us safeguard the site, and we look forward to sharing further updates on our progress over the coming months.”

Now on site, the Trust is using the land to support the traditional wildlife-friendly farming methods that have shaped the Itchen Valley’s water meadows.

Key to this is the use of cattle to lightly graze the land – a widely-used land management practice for maintaining water meadow habitats and ensuring the greatest diversity of plants and other wildlife.

Species set to benefit from the purchase include birds like kingfisher, swallow and barn owls, mammals like water vole and otter, and other species like marsh marigold and the rare southern damselfly.

The additional funds raised will be used to support the ongoing maintenance and management of the farm and other nature reserves.

Contributions to the appeal included charitable donations from organisations including Banister Charitable Trust, The Southern Co-operative, and The Calleva Foundation.